Saturday Night Lights - The Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Race Primer
Picking a draft partner for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 got considerably more difficult after a temper-filled Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Several drivers fired a few verbal jabs during post-race interviews at Sonoma on Sunday, leading to ramped up interest going into one of the more dangerous races of the season - the July Daytona night race.
A few of the fresh grudge matches heading into Daytona: Tony Stewart vs. Brian Vickers; Brad Keselowski vs. Juan Pablo Montoya; Kasey Kahne vs. Montoya. Add that to the mental war games of Kyle Busch vs. defending race champion Kevin Harvick (did you see the hand shake??), and Saturday night just doubled in potential drama.
We've long since given up on trying to accurately predict races at Daytona and Talladega, instead opting to use such scientific measures at letting your friends pick and drawing random numbers . It's a lot like Einstein's definition of insanity - "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
We'll get it right eventually.
But if the unscientific doesn't do it for you, we've got the stats and trends for top performers right after the jump.
Loop data from over the past six races is means absolutely nothing given the advent of the two car draft.
Jeff Gordon/Mark Martin have a combined six wins at Daytona (all Gordon) but the two were the fastest two-car tandem throughout Talladega. They qualified one/two and were leading at the white flag before being overtaken by Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The two preferred the low line at Talladega but moved up top with about ten to go when they decided it was time to move to the front. Daytona will present a different set of challenges but judging from practice the two plan on repeating their Alabama performances.
Gordon crashed out of the Daytona 500 on lap 26 while Martin finished 10 .
Jimmie Johnson/Dale Earnhardt Jr. did their best Kevin Harvick impression at Talladega coming from outside the Top-5 to win at Talladega in the spring. Like Gordon and Martin, this duo was a force all weekend in Alabama qualifying three/four and timing the pass just right to win the circuit's last plate race.
Earnhardt also qualified on pole for the season opening Daytona 500 and was a threat to win before being knocked out in the final ten laps.
This duo should be near the top in the late stages of Saturday night's race.
Gatorade Duel At Daytona - News
As of press time, they're also leading Cup Series happy hour at Daytona. Kurt Busch proved that he can be a winner here, taking Gatorade Duel Race 2 on the Thursday before the Daytona 500. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. having to go to a backup car for the
She wasn't in victory lane for either of his wins at Daytona in the Budweiser Shootout and the Gatorade Duel, fueling rumors that they were no longer together. In the last couple of months, Driscoll, president of the Armed Forces Foundation,
Racing at Daytona has changed since Gordon made his debut in 1993 by winning his first Gatorade Duel. Plate racing has deviated from huge multi-car packs to two-by-two bump drafting. According to Gordon, changes to the car and track surfaces have
$1.76 billion contract with NASCAR that mandates FOX televise all of its Sprint Cup races on its broadcast channel except for two non-points, specialty events ā the Sprint All-Star Race and the Gatorade Duels from Daytona, which air on SPEED.
Other 2012 Speed Weeks events include the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 28-29; ARCA 200, Feb. 18; Budweiser Shootout, Feb. 18; Daytona 500 qualifying, Feb. 19; Gatorade Duel, Feb. 23; NextEra 250, Feb. 24; and Nationwide Series 300, Feb. 25.
Jayski'sĀ® NASCAR Silly Season Site - 2011 Gatorade Duel 150 ...
Race Coverage of the Gatorade Duel 150 Qualifying Races at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Thursday, February 17, 2011.
TV: SPEED at 2:00pm/et; pre-race show at 1:00pm/et
Radio: MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio
Scheduled Race Re-Air: on SPEED, Thursday, February 17 at 9:00pm/et
Duel wins doesn't equal 500 win: Only eight times has the winner of a 125-mile race gone on to win the Daytona 500:
Fireball Roberts was the first to do so, in 1962
Cale Yarborough did it twice, in 1977 and 1984
others:
Bill Elliott (1985)
Bobby Allison (1988)
Sterling Marlin (1995)
Dale Earnhardt (1998)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2004)
Qualifying: The top-two qualifiers will start on the front row for the 2011 Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (first) and Jeff Gordon (second). The bottom line for the 2011 Daytona 500 - is that the top-two qualifiers are in. The remaining top-35 guaranteed starters are in. Four drivers will make the field based on their performance in the Duels, leaving four positions in the starting field. The three fastest non-guaranteed starters, that do not race their way in by their finish in the Duels, will make the field because they will revert to their qualifying times: #09-Elliott, #38-Kvapil and #87-Nemechek. #32-Terry Labonte will be in on Past Champion provisional if he does not race his way in.
Gatorade Duel Assignment:
The eligible highest ranked 35 in 2010 car owner points are assigned to Gatorade Duel races based on their standing in the 2010 final car owner points. Odd-numbered owner points will compete in the first Gatorade Duel; even numbered owners will compete in the second. The only exception is that the fastest qualifier (Earnhardt Jr.) will compete in the first Gatorade Duel and the second fastest (Jeff Gordon) will compete in the second, regardless of 2010 car owner point standings.
The remaining teams are assigned to a Gatorade Duel based on qualifying times beginning with the fastest team the #09 of Bill Elliott. The final lineups will be 24 cars in each Duel.
Starting positions for the Gatorade Duels are based on qualifying times.
Drivers Locked IN:
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Gatorade Duel At Daytona - Bookshelf
Nascar Races at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona 500, List of Daytona 500 Pole Position Winners, the Big One, Gatorade Duel
The Complete Idiot's Guide to NASCAR
The fastest racer in each Gatorade Duel that is not already entered in the Daytona 500 gets in. So that gets to 37. And then ā going back to the time trial ...NASCAR For Dummies
At the end of the Gatorade Duel qualifying races, all spots are set for the Daytona 500. As with other races, the field consists of 35 guaranteed starters ...Tony Stewart, 2005 Nextel Cup Champion
rewart wins the second Gatorade Duel at Daytona NASCAR Nextel Cup series **" at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Ft^ (photo by: Erik ...Nascar Sprint Cup Series Races, Daytona 500, Nascar Sprint All-Star Race, Gatorade Duel, Budweiser Shootout, Brickyard 400, Coke Zero 400
Information Source Directory
Gatorade Duel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Gatorade Duel is NASCAR Sprint Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. ...
Gatorade Duel - Daytona International Speedway
Jeff Gordon was victorious in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona and Kyle Busch followed up with an impressive win in the second Gatorade Duel.
Gatorade Duel - Daytona International Speedway
Gatorade Duel At Daytona features two 150-mile qualifying races that determine the starting lineup for the 53rd annual Daytona 500.
NASCAR - VIDEO: 2010 Gatorade Duel At Daytona
Two nail biting finishes as the field for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 is set... The Gatorade Duel At Daytona delivered back-to-back thrilling finishes as Jimmie ...
Gatorade Duel 150s Tickets at StubHub!
Gatorade Duel 150s Tickets at Daytona Speedway - Buy and sell Gatorade Duel 150 Race Tickets at Daytona Speedway and other NASCAR Tickets at StubHub! ...